4 Places to Meet a Guy on Your Next Vacation

One of the many pools at the El San Juan. Greetings from Puerto Rico! I flew here on Friday with my friend Liz. We leave tonight (boo). We're staying at the amazing El San Juan Hotel & Casino, which has been completely renovated. Liz and I met a lot of interesting characters while we were there. Here are four places to encounter men on your next vacay:

Greetings from Puerto Rico! I flew here on Friday with my friend Liz. We leave tonight (boo). We're staying at the amazing El San Juan Hotel & Casino, which has been completely renovated. Liz and I met a lot of interesting characters while we were there. Here are four places to encounter men on your next vacay:

1. The Swimming Pool

While the ocean is a tough venue to work (what with all that space and nature going on), the pool is a perfect, enclosed place to talk to strangers. On Saturday, DJ Reach was spinning poolside, and everyone was dancing like we were at a nightclub. I lip-synced with a few cute guys. Plus a group of 12-year-olds. At some point, I swam up to the pool bar to close out my credit card, and this guy started chatting me up. I wasn't into his aggressive interviewing style or his gold chain necklace. But he did buy me a rum runner while I waited to close my tab, so I've got that going for me.

You know I love a man who can cook. Since someone's gotta do it.

2. Teppanyaki Restaurant

For Japanese food and sake-bombing, Liz and I chose to eat at Yamato, partly because we'd heard Nick Lachey had been spotted there. At a big Hibachi table, you never know what hottie will be sitting next to or across from you. Or maybe your chef will be cute. Our cook was the most talented Teppanyaki chef I've ever seen. He smoked all the fools at Benihana. Anyway, he was catching uncracked eggs on his spatula when he pointed at me and invited me up to the table. I asked him, "Do you know I can't cook? Well, okay!" I stood next to him, and he tossed me an egg, and without thinking, I went at it like Babe Ruth. I got egg yolk over all the dinner guests! Oops. Everyone was pretty nice about it. Luckily.

My surf instructor said he'd take a photo—only if I'd let him hug me.

3. Surf Lesson

Puerto Rico is a good place for surfing. I wasn't about to hit world-famous Rincon, but I was willing to take a lesson at a nearby beach, and I was 99% sure my instructor would be male. Turns out, I was supposed to have pro surfer Chino Sue-A-Quan, who is pretty hot, but instead I got his cousin Cotto, a husky 38-year-old former pro with a big mouth. He had a lot to say as I was lying on the board waiting for a good wave. He told me I had beautiful eyes, cute freckles, and that I giggle like Cookie Monster. HA! Now I've heard it all.

After the first wave, he told me not to jump off the board when I think I might fall. He said to either correct my stance or ride until I fall. I said I didn't want to land on my butt. He said not to worry because I have "some padding." When I was rushing to stand up, he told me that surfing is "like sex. It's not about speed, it's about intensity." Everything came back to sex. I asked him about the years he was competing and traveling around. He told me a story about a particular flight he'd taken when he'd met a stewardess; then, "Everyone has a flight attendant in their life." Ah, the wisdom of surfers. Finally, he said he wanted to take me to breakfast and show me around the next morning (today). I gave him a blank stare. Then he said, "I'm asking you out." I told him I'd have to check my schedule. But he was really pretty funny and I did consider accepting the offer of having a local show me around.

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Getting pumped for my bull ride.

Make sure to wear shorts and not a skirt if you're going to do this.

4. A Fun, Non-Stuffy Bar

Believe it or not, good ol' Brother Jimmy's BBQ has a location on the rooftop of our hotel. Liz and I were hungry from a long day of swimming, so we went to Brother Jimmy's to thrash some pulled pork sandwiches and enjoy the view. It's always great, when you've been in the sun all day, to go somewhere casual where you can have fun and get rowdy. After dinner, I got on the mechanical bull. I received major props for getting up there, and it made us some friends. A few bought us drinks afterwards. Score!

Some of my fans, haha. P.S. Did I miss the memo about wearing mohawks?

Where have you picked up a guy on vacation? Have you ever been to Puerto Rico?